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TB ravages Greenland community

Published 03.06.10   13:34 

Nearly half of the inhabitants of Kuummiut in Greenland are at risk of contracting tuberculosis A survey carried out in the remote village of Kuummiut on Greenland’s east coast revealed that 43 percent of its inhabitants were at risk of...

A survey carried out in the remote village of Kuummiut on Greenland’s east coast revealed that 43 percent of its inhabitants were at risk of developing the dreaded lung disease.

It is estimated that as many as 8 percent of adults infected with TB risk contracting the disease, while a quarter of children and adolescents infected with the bacteria are likely to develop full-blown tuberculosis.

The nearby Tasiilaq Hospital is currently investigating how many of the settlement’s 360 inhabitants need to be treated immediately or require preventative care only.

Tuberculosis has been a problem for centuries in Greenland but a campaign started by Danish authorities in 1955 managed to reduce the number of TB cases by 90 percent, bringing it into line with the rates of the disease seen in Denmark.

However, since 1990 the semi-autonomous territory has seen a steep rise in the number of people contracting TB.

According to Greenland’s Semitsiaq newspaper, there has been an average of 73 cases annually during the last five years, which places Greenland on a par with several African and Asian countries.

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